GE’s EDC in Warsaw/Poland is the place where GE engineers research and develop products and processes of tomorrow. And now they will even have better means to do so. At the end of May namely, the EDC was expanded by the European Turbine Airfoil Center as well as the Additive Lab and was again in the focus of public and expert interest.
From left: Paweł Stężycki, Director of the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation, Marian Lubieniecki, Chairman of the Management Board of GE Company Polska Sp. z o.o, Gary Mercer, Vice President & General Manager of GE Aviation, Farah Borges, Senior Executive, Turbine Airfoil Value Stream Engineering, at the opening ceremony. source: GE
The center will strengthen the position of the Polish engineering team at the EDC in the global structures of the corporation.
“The two new labs that are just a beginning of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center are an important step in EDC journey. Nowadays, design of the products must be much more connected with manufacturing technologies. It is especially important in case of turbine blades manufacturing and additive technologies where manufacturing capability defines design space. These two labs will enable much quicker iteration between design and manufacturing and - in this way - shorten development cycle. They also will lead the way to create new advanced manufacturing ecosystem strengthening GE Aviation presence in the region.” – said Marian Lubieniecki, Chairman of the Management Board, GE Company Polska Sp. z o.o.
The local engineering team will now have broader opportunities for defining the future development of cooled parts of gas turbines. Additionally, as part of the local design and production ecosystem, Polish engineers will be better prepared to implement and monitor innovative technological solutions at the stage of their commercialization.
Both laboratories and the engineers will support the global network of GE Aviation laboratories and production plants, focusing on developing components and materials implemented in the most modern aviation equipment. The developed technologies will end up in production plants, increasing their efficiency and creating new quality production development opportunities.
Guest post by Agnieszka Jankowska, GE Government Relations Director for Poland
The labor market has been changing for decades, but perhaps never faster than today. Today’s students major and specialize in fields that a couple of years ago were virtually non-existent. In addition, they need to get work experience while there is a growing number of practical courses, and there is a need to put greater emphasis on networking and other “soft skills”.
Soft skills are the personal skill sets typically formed outside of an educational/learning environment – they allow for deeper engagement and relationship building, and are connected to personal values and the way you react and interact with others. With the ‘hard’ skills of business and economic understanding you might make an effective manager, but with hard and soft skills you can become a great leader. Soft skills lend a greater understanding of others, perspectives, attitudes and how people can work together effectively.
Soft skills are important, but so too is ‘specialized’ study. We asked experts and business people during a panel discussion at a recent award ceremony of the GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program, to share their opinion about young people and today’s labour market.
So why “soft skills”? A report prepared last year by the Warsaw School of Economics, American Chamber of Commerce in Poland, and Ernst & Young, found that personal and interpersonal skills are of prime concern for 32% of employers when recruiting new staff. Intellectual and academic skills were indicated by 25%, and level of education by 22% of the companies. How does it translate to students’ actions? As always, students still need to study hard, but not at the expense of these soft skills.
GE leaders talks with students during the Leadership Development Program at GE Power&Water Plant in Veresegyház, Hungary
Magdalena Nizik, President of the Board, GE Company Poland, and Managing Director, Engineering Design Center (EDC), believes that under current conditions the labor market very much favors technical education, hence engineers and technicians are in great demand. If Poland wants to attract investors and new technologies, it cannot achieve that without specialists. General education is not enough, it would be much more beneficial to invest in technical universities and specialized engineering fields in higher education.
EDC itself plans to hire 400 engineers by the end of the year to reach a total number of 1,900 employees. But is technical education enough to find a satisfying job in the volatile times of Europe’s economic crisis? The panelists agreed that mutual co-operation between business and universities may provide students with technical knowledge and practical experteese briding the gap between educational offer and business needs.
“Universities must revise their curricula on a yearly basis to produce educational offerings tailored to the current requirements of the labor market. Students may get involved in various initiatives, apply for internships, and embark on self-development, but without support on the part of the university they may still suffer at the hands of a dynamically changing job market” .Professor Krzysztof Lewenstein, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Warsaw University of Technology,
So what do employers need from potential recruits? Knowledge, coupled with involvement in extra-academic initiatives, eagerness and dedication, the continuous building of soft skills, and, first and foremost – motivation for self-development.
Watch what panelists have to say on how to get education and employers closer.
Dorota Dąbrowski, Executive Director, AmCham in Poland on the importance of „soft skills” in a successful career:
Today’s leaders, top executives in CEE inspire tomorrow’s leaders at GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Polish Award Ceremony:
Where did you get your soft knowledge? Share your thoughts with us!
